Mise-En-Scene Analysis

Mise-En-Scene:

Mise-En-Scene means quite literally means 'Placing on stage' in French and is used to describe what the audience see in the frame and is taken to mean that everything that the audience see has been put there for a reason.

Scene: Reservoir Dogs Torture scene.

Set Design:

I feel the set has been designed perfectly for the scene as it makes the audience feel that the majority of the film was shot inside an abandoned warehouse which works with the plot to make it seem like a place that someone may well run to after failing a crime as the area seems quite secluded when the Michael Madsen goes out to his car.

Lighting:

The lighting of this scene is done well as it simply looks like sunlight coming through the windows and it lights up the key parts of the scene such as the Policeman being lit well and Tim Roth’s character on the ramp has decent lighting on him, which works well for the end of the clip. Also the use of shadow makes the warehouse seem larger and like a more real environment.

Space:

Space is one of the key aspects that makes this a great scene in my opinion, it shows the vastness of the set and also allows for the camera  to have room to move around; it also allows for the key scene of the ear being cut off to be shot off screen which makes the viewers focus on the sounds of what is happening whilst also adding an amount of ambiguity to the scene which helps to build tension.

Composition:

You can tell from, the scene that the composition has been thought about quite extensively before filming as everything is framed perfectly when it is supposed to for example when Michael Madsen is just walking around it is filmed quite loosely and he isn’t always in the centre of the frame which gives the viewers a sense of normality and realism and makes his character seem more psychotic, the composition is also used to make Tim Roth seem like he is completely irrelevant to the scene and makes the audience forget about him until the end when he shoots Michael Madsen; the best example of composition in my opinion though is when the policeman is getting his ear cut off and the camera pans away from what is actually happening and focuses on a corner which just looks like a bland, normal wall and it makes the scene great as it makes the audience focus on what they can hear and reminds them that it isn’t in a fancy lair or a place from an action film, it’s just in an ordinary warehouse.

Acting:

The acting of this scene, primarily being Michael Madsen, is amazing; I feel he completely makes the role his own and portrays the characters psychotic although strangely normal personality perfectly.

Even though it isn’t a part of Mise-En-Scene I am going to mention the sound as it completely makes the scene and the use of fading when Michael Madsen goes outside really makes the audience feel immersed and the gruesome sounds used when the policeman’s ear is cut off create an image in the audiences head and keep the movie interesting even though it isn’t shown; this is all happening set to the song  Stuck in the Middle with You, by Stealers Wheel.